Sudan rebel leader welcomed back to capital

[Kire]

Rebel Leader Welcomed Back to Khartoum

By TANALEE SMITH, Associated Press Writer
49 minutes ago

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Ex-rebel leader John Garang made a triumphant return to Khartoum on Friday, greeted as a brother by the president and as a pop star by hundreds of thousands of supporters hopeful for a new era after Africa's longest civil war.

His arrival on a scorching summer's day was a landmark step in a U.S.-backed January peace deal that requires Sudan's Muslim-dominated northern-based regime to share power and wealth with long-marginalized southerners. Garang was to be sworn in to the government's second-most powerful post Saturday.

A red carpet greeting at Khartoum's airport was followed by an official welcoming reception during which President Omar el-Bashir held his former enemy's hand in the air and repeatedly called him "our brother."

"You will find the hearts of all Sudanese open to you," el-Bashir promised. "This war has stopped finally and forever."

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050708/ap_on_re_mi_ea/sudan_garang_s_return